Zelenskyy: Spain to supply Ukraine with scarce IRIS-T air defence missiles

Spain will provide Ukraine with missiles for its IRIS-T air defence systems as part of a new military aid package, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday during a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Zelenskyy said the missiles were in short supply and critically needed for Ukraine’s air defence, especially ahead of winter.

“This includes air defence missiles. These are in very short supply for us, especially in winter. In this case, the specific package includes 40 missiles for the IRIS-T air defence systems”, Zelenskyy said.

He added that Ukraine and Spain were prepared to begin joint production of high-precision weapons.

Zelenskyy also thanked Spain for the new defence package, which is valued at €300 million.

Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, making additional air defence systems and ammunition essential for protection.

On November 2, Zelenskyy announced that Germany had supplied additional Patriot systems urgently needed to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Earlier, on October 15, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would deliver €2 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine, including two more IRIS-T systems. Unofficial reports indicated that as of August, Germany had already supplied Ukraine with eight IRIS-T batteries, though officials have not confirmed exact numbers.